Toner Prizes

Two prizes—the Toner Prize for Excellence in National Political Reporting and the Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Political Reporting—are awarded annually by the Newhouse School. Each includes a $5,000 honorarium.

Entries are judged on how well they reflect the high standards and depth of reporting that marked Robin Toner’s work. Judges look for how well the entries:

• illuminate the electoral process, with a special focus on coverage of candidates, campaigns or elections, or
• reveal the politics of policy and
• engage the public in democracy.

Entries must be fact-based reporting, not commentary. Single articles, series or a body of work are eligible. Books are ineligible.

The Toner Prizes will be formally awarded on March 24 in Washington, D.C., at the Toner Celebration event.

2025 Toner Prize for Excellence in National Political Reporting

Winner: Reuters

Reporters: Peter Eisler, Ned Parker, Aram Roston and Joseph Tanfani

Entry: “The Politics of Menace”

• “Trump blasts his trial judges. Then his fans call for violence.”
• “The Proud Boys are back: How the far-right group is rebuilding to rally behind Trump”
• “How Trump’s intimidation tactics have reshaped the Republican Party”
• “Trump fan targets MAGA foes with menace – and gets away with it”

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Honorable Mention: Politico

Reporters: Jessie Blaeser, Kelsey Tamborrino, Benjamin Storrow, Zack Colman, David Ferris, Timothy Cama and Christine Mui

Entry: “Biden’s Billions”

• “Biden Trillion Dollar Spending Tracker”
• “‘I don’t know how this happened’: A $3B secret program undermining Biden’s tech policy”
• “Trump vs. Biden’s historic climate agenda”
• “What has Biden wrought?”

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2025 Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Political Reporting

Winner: NJ Advance Media

Reporters: Spencer Kent and Riley Yates

Entry: “Project Extreme”

• “Inside the Mainstreaming of Hate. How Toxic Influencers are Pushing N.J. Politics to the Far Right”
• “Looking over their shoulder” (subscription required)
• “A war for hearts & minds” (subscription required)
• “Civil war” (subscription required)

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Finalists for 2025 Toner Prize for Excellence in National Political Reporting

• ProPublica with Wisconsin Watch, Documented and The New York Times Magazine: “Investigating the Christian Right’s efforts to influence elections,” Andy Kroll, Ava Kofman, Phoebe Petrovic and Nick Surgey
  • “Inside Ziklag, the Secret Organization of Wealthy Christians Trying to Sway the Election and Change the Country“
  • “A Pair of Billionaire Preachers Built the Most Powerful Political Machine in Texas. That’s Just the Start.“
  • “The Gospel of Matthew Trewhella: How a Militant Anti-Abortion Activist Is Influencing Republican Politics“
  • “The Genesis of Christian Nationalism“
• NBC News: “The disinformation machine: How falsehoods shaped American politics,” Brandy Zadrozny
  • “The Pipeline: How Russian propaganda reaches and influences the U.S.“
  • “‘Big lie’ 2.0: How Trump’s false claims about noncitizens voting lay the groundwork to undermine the election“
  • “Inside the fringe worldview of RFK Jr.’s VP pick“
  • “A small city in Oklahoma elected a white nationalist. Will it be able to vote him out?“
• The Boston Globe: “Vibe Check,” Emma Platoff, Sam Brodey and Jim Puzzanghera
  • “A discount grocery store in Wisconsin shows how food prices could determine who wins the election” (subscription required)
  • “In North Carolina, Trump dismisses ‘cognitive decline’ speculation with bluster while fans insist he’s strong and can win” (subscription required)
  • “In Arizona, abortion policy and politics are intertwined-and the stakes couldn’t be higher” (subscription required)
  • “Trump and Harris say they want to make housing more affordable. The experience of Bethlehem, Pa. helps explain why.” (subscription required)
• The Atlantic: “Inside the Trump Campaign,” Tim Alberta
  • “Trump is Planning for a Landslide Win”
  • “This Is Exactly What the Trump Team Feared“
  • “Inside the Ruthless, Restless Final Days of Trump’s Campaign“

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Finalists for 2025 Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Political Reporting

• The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and Votebeat: “Noncitizen Voting,” Vianna Davila, Lexi Churchill, James Barragán and Natalia Contreras
  • “Gov. Greg Abbott boasted that Texas removed 6,500 noncitizens from its voter rolls. That number was likely inflated.“
  • “Texas lawmakers signal push to require proof of citizenship from voters“
  • “This Trump supporter was labeled a noncitizen and kicked off Texas’ voter rolls“
• The Boston Globe: “State Secrets,” Laura Crimaldi, Samantha J. Gross, Emma Platoff and Matt Stout 
  • “A few Mass. Democrats put $5m into the budget for dog parks, a castle, and more. And they did it in secret.” (subscription required)
  • “Fine dining, cigar lounges, and TD Garden suites: Here’s what happens when Beacon Hill’s most powerful pick up the tab” (subscription required)
  • “He earns an extra $61,000 to lead two committees. They never considered a bill.” (subscription required)
  • “In sweeping climate bill, the lawmaker and lobbyist played influential roles. Turns out they are dating.” (subscription required)
• Chicago Tribune: “Culture of Corruption,” Ray Long, Rick Pearson, Gregory Royal Pratt, Dan Petrella, Joe Mahr, Rick Kogan and Kori Rumore 
  • “Our culture of corruption” (subscription required)
  • “Politics for sale” (subscription required)
  • “Bossing the ballot” (subscription required)
  • “Chicago never ready for reform” (subscription required)
• Santa Cruz Local:  “Santa Cruz Local’s Election Guide,” Jesse Kathan, Nik Altenberg, Stephen Baxter, Jay Leedy, Tyler Maldonado, Jesse Greenspan, Samantha Lim, Jessica Zimmer, Fidel M. Soto, Corinne Kappeler and Kara Meyberg Guzman
  • “Santa Cruz Local’s Nov. 5, 2024 Election Guide“
  • “District 2 Santa Cruz County supervisor“
  • “Measure Z – City of Santa Cruz soda tax“
  • “Watsonville City Council“
• Houston Chronicle: “How Gov. Greg Abbott made the Texas border America’s problem,” Benjamin Wermund and Matt Zdun
  • “How Gov. Greg Abbott made the Texas border America’s problem” (subscription required)
  • “We asked A.I. to analyze Abbott’s rhetoric about the Texas border. He’s changed his tone dramatically.” (subscription required)
  • “Timeline: The evolution of Greg Abbott’s stance on immigration” (subscription required)
• The Texas Tribune: “A Texas Supreme Court justice’s disregard for ethics rules,” Robert Downen
  • “In leaked audio, Supreme Court Justice John Devine railed against “brainwashed” GOP colleagues“
  • “Despite ties to defendants, Texas Supreme Court justice didn’t recuse himself from sex abuse case“
  • “Texas Supreme Court justice’s oversight of trust belonging to millionaire with dementia raises ethics concerns“
  • “Texas Supreme Court justice implies Democrats will cheat in 2024 election“

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2025 Judges

Christina Bellantoni
Ann Compton
Lucy Dalglish
Beverly Kirk
Rick Rodriguez
Maralee Schwartz
Joseph B. Treaster

2025 Jurors

Jeanne Abbott
Caesar Andrews
Lee Banville
Rebecca Blatt
Ted Bridis
Jean Marie Brown
Kristen Canada
Jim Carroll
Chris Cillizza
Barbara Cochran
Mel Coffee
Douglas Cumming
Joshua Darr
Christopher Drew
Hamid Ekbia
Aileen Gallagher
Patricia Gaston
Gary Ghioto
Vince Gonzales
Chris Graves
Roy Gutterman
Jane Hall
Jesse Holland
Mark Horvit
Hebah Abdalla Lehmann
Christina Leonard
Judy Muller
Jill Olmsted
Jim Osman
Patrick Lee Plaisance
Mary Kay Quinlan
Raul Reis
Willa Seidenberg
Gina Shelton
Marquita Smith
Emily Sydnor
Lydia Timmins
Mark Turner
Yumi Wilson